The pro-European social democrats won the most votes in the parliamentary elections held in Romania on Sunday, but the extreme right scored a breakthrough, the results came after almost all the votes had been counted.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD), which has ruled with the liberals until now, won 22,4 percent of the vote, ahead of other parties, according to almost complete results, as more than 99 percent of electoral units were counted.
However, all forces of the extreme right together have more than 31 percent, which is three times higher than in the previous elections in 2020. The parliamentary elections were held a week after the surprising success of extreme right candidate Kalin Georgesku in the first round of the presidential elections. That result caused fear in Western Europe of a change in Romania's strategic positioning.
Parliamentary elections did not allow to "clarify" the situation, believes political scientist Christian Pirvulescu.
"We are facing an extremely fragmented parliament that poses a lot of risks" and portends difficult negotiations to form a government, he told AFP.
Although Social Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Čolaku, eliminated on November 24 from the race for the presidency, is satisfied with his party's first place, he said that the breakthrough of the nationalists is clear.
"Romanians have sent an important signal to the political class," said Colaku, adding that Romania should continue on the European path "but also protect its identity and national values."
The extreme right, scattered among several groups that have in common to oppose support for Kiev in the name of "peace" and to defend "Christian values", welcomed the election results.
"Today, the Romanian people voted for the sovereignist forces," said the leader of the AUR (Union for the Unity of Romanians) party, Georg Simion.
That party received 17,8 percent of the vote.
"It is the beginning of a new era in which Romanians regain the right to decide their own destiny," he added, while voter turnout in the parliamentary elections reached the highest level in the last two decades - 52 percent.
In the same camp, SOS Romania, headed by the pro-Russian candidate Dijana Sosoak, and the brand new Youth Party (POT) entered the parliament with 7,2 percent and 6,3 percent of the votes.
Since the fall of Communism in 1989, the country has never seen such a breakthrough, but discontent among a large part of its 19 million inhabitants simmers due to economic difficulties and the war on the other side of the border.
"The strong rise of the extreme right, around a third of the electorate, testifies to the frustrations accumulated in society and economic dissatisfaction," said analyst Radu Magdin.
However, due to the lack of allies, their rise to power is far from guaranteed.
Several political leaders have already launched calls for a decidedly pro-European "government of national unity".
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